Six top destinations:

New York: £212

Kuwait Airways from Heathrow. Valid for departures until June 30, no minimum stay, maximum six months. Thomas Cook Flights Direct (08701 111 111, thomascook.com).

Los Angeles: £299

Air New Zealand from Heathrow. Valid for departures until April 30, then November 1 to December 19 and December 25 to March 21 next year. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum three months. Quest Worldwide Travel (0870 442 3513, questtravel.com).

Hong Kong: £299

Cathay Pacific from Heathrow. Must be booked by May 3. Valid for Sunday-Wednesday departures May to June 10. Minimum stay three nights, maximum one month. Trailfinders (020 7938 3939, trailfinders.com).

Sydney: £479

Korean Air from Heathrow via Seoul. Must be booked by April 30. Valid for departures until June 11. Minimum stay seven days, maximum one year. Quest Worldwide Travel (0870 442 3513, questtravel.com).

Amsterdam: £58

BMI British Midland from Heathrow. Must be booked on line (£10 supplement if booked by telephone). Valid for departures indefinitely. No minimum stay, maximum one year. BMI British Midland (flybmi.com, 0870 607 0555).

Paris: £88.30

British Airways from Manchester. Must be booked online by April 5 (£15pp supplement if booked by telephone). Valid for departures April 15 - October 30 (excluding July 15 - September 1). British Airways (ba.com, 0870 850 9850).

The pick of the rest:

Johannesburg: £394

KLM from Manchester via Amsterdam. Valid until April 30. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Thomas Cook Flights Direct (08701 111 111, thomascook.com).

São Paulo: £480

Lufthansa from Heathrow via Munich or Frankfurt. Must be booked by July 12. Valid for departures until July 14. Minimum stay seven days, maximum three months. Bridge the World (0870 444 1716, bridgetheworld.com).

Beijing: £346

KLM from Heathrow via Amsterdam. Must be booked by April 30. Valid for departures May 1-31. Minimum stay one Saturday night, maximum one month. Trailfinders (020 7938 3939, trailfinders.com).

Alicante: £89

Monarch Airlines charter from Manchester. Departs April 20 for seven nights. Avro (0870 458 2847, avro.co.uk).

And the rail alternative:

Paris/ Brussels: £59. Lille: £55

Eurostar from Waterloo or Ashford. Must be booked at least 21 days before departure. No advance booking required for Saturday or Sunday same day returns or trips including a Saturday night stay. Eurostar 08705 186186, eurostar.com).

· NB Fares can change rapidly. These were available in reasonable quantities at the time of writing, but they can sell out in a sudden rush.